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Texas Rangers second baseman Donnie Murphy (16) hits a three-run home run against the Quintana Roo Tigers of Mexico in the second inning of exhibition baseball at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas on Thursday, March 27, 2014. (Brad Loper/The Dallas Morning News)

ARLINGTON — By Friday night, the Rangers could be halfway toward putting together a middle-infield combination for opening day.

That would leave them with one more day to fill in the missing link of second base.

Shortstop Elvis Andrus went through full infield drills Thursday at Globe Life Park and will play in the weekend exhibition games against Houston in San Antonio. Andrus added that he will be at full readiness for the opener Monday against Philadelphia.

“Definitely,” Andrus said. “I’m playing.”

Andrus singled as a pinch-hitter in the exhibition against Quintana Roo but has not played the field since March 17 because of arm soreness. The absence marked the second time this spring that Andrus has been held out because of the condition, which arose after he did not follow an off-season throwing program.

Manager Ron Washington will use the eye test to determine how long Andrus plays the field against Houston.

If the arm woes continue during the season, the Rangers will have a problem. Sore-armed shortstops can undermine a defense. Andrus threw well last season, making a career-low four throwing errors. He tied with Colorado’s Troy Tulowitzki for the third-fewest throwing errors among the 21 major leaguers with at least 900 innings at shortstop.

The auditions for Andrus’ partner continued with Donnie Murphy getting a start at second in the exhibition against Quintana Roo of the Mexican League.

Murphy probably will play extensively against Houston as Washington tries to learn his game and if he can help fill the void created by the loss of Jurickson Profar for about 10 weeks because of a torn muscle in his right shoulder.

“I want to see what [Murphy] looks like and what he can do,” Washington said.

Murphy got off to a good start. He handled three chances in five innings at second and had two extra-base hits, a double and a three-run homer against former New York Yankees’ right-hander Amauri Sanit, in three at-bats.

The Rangers obtained Murphy from the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday on a waiver claim. Murphy, 31, has had nearly equal playing time at second, shortstop and third in his major league career.

A scout with a National League club described Murphy as “a decent little player who can play second pretty well … a much better hitter than any of those guys they have there now … has some pop.”

Murphy received extended playing time for the first time in his career last season with the Cubs and was a revelation. Murphy, a right-handed hitter, had a career-high 149 at-bats in the final two months of the season and hit .258 with an .869 OPS and 11 homers.

Compare that with the other infield candidates with the club. Adam Rosales hit .190 with a .586 OPS and five homers in 166 at-bats with Oakland and the Rangers last season. Josh Wilson hit .200 with a .562 OPS and one homer in 60 at-bats with Arizona.

“It was one of those things that I’ve never had a chance at in my career,” Murphy said. “As a utility guy, I was always stuck behind super-star kind of players. Last year, they gave me an opportunity, and it worked out well.”

Washington said he does not expect to find a full-time second baseman in the field of Murphy, Rosales and Wilson. Unless general manager Jon Daniels pulls off a deal for a front-liner — Milwaukee’s Rickie Weeks is available, according to scouts with several clubs — the Rangers will have a patchwork arrangement at second until Profar returns.

“Those guys are utility guys,” Washington said. “We’ll mix and match, so we don’t overplay anybody. They all can contribute until we get our guy back.”

A few years ago, the Rangers’ Washington-driven mantra was “that’s the way baseball go.” It has changed to “get our guy back” this season.